


A Bad Dream

by MsBlam



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with no happy ending, Character Death, Gen, Okay so everything has to end sometime, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 05:21:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBlam/pseuds/MsBlam
Summary: Hashirama was always so easy to fool.





	A Bad Dream

Hashirama felt the sickening give of flesh, organs, and bone under the unyielding steel of his blade, and his entire world seemed to stop.

It shouldn’t have worked.

Madara should have seen it coming, why hadn’t he moved? Madara had always know when he was using a clone. He knew the Hashirama in front of him wasn’t real, he had to of known, so why didn’t he move?

Madara slumps, but it’s not from loss of blood or the wound that will very soon kill him, its relief.

Madara wanted this, he wanted Hashirama to kill him.

He feels bile crawling up his throat, the scorning words, words about protecting the village no matter the cost, protecting it from Madara, they all die in his throat.

“Madara” He’s begging, praying that this was all a bad dream.

There is a breathless little laugh form the Uchiha.

“You were never going to attack the village.” It’s a flat statement, factual, and everything was falling into place now. How could he not have seen it before?

“I might’ve, if you hadn’t stopped me.” Madara manages to say past the blood filling his lungs.

It’s a lie, one meant to take the blame away from Hashirama. It had all been a lie. Madara knew him, knew that the only way Hashirama would ever hurt him, _kill_ him, was to protect the village. And Hashirama, like the fool he was, believed that Madara would destroy everything they built together, slaughter children despite everything Madara had ever believed in.

He carefully turns the Uchiha around, catching him as his legs give out, and Hashirama sinks to his knees under Madara's weight and his own shame. Madara is smiling at him, it’s more genuine that Hashirama has seen in years, but it soon turns into a frown as Madara reaches one hand up towards him, brushing feather light at Hashirama’s eyes.

“Don’t weep for me Hashirama, I’ll see Izuna soon. All will be well.” Madara soothes like his words can take away the ache in Hashirama’s heart. His hand drops to hold onto Hashirama’s shirt where his armor doesn’t cover, his fingers twisting into the fabric. Hashirama can only wrap his arms tighter around his friend.

Nothing will ever make this better. There is so much he wants to say, so many things he’s never had the courage to tell Madara, and now it’s too late because Hashirama had just killed him.

“Madara” the name comes out broken. He can see the Uchiha slipping away, his breaths coming in shallow little huffs.

“Hashirama” the Uchiha mutters one last time, his eyes are tender as he stares up at Hashirama, and on the next breath, Madara doesn’t inhale. He’s gone, but his eyes are still warm as they stare sightless at Hashirama.

His best friend, his brother, his other half, he’s dead and Hashirama was the one that murdered him.

“What have I done?” Hashirama asks, but he won’t get an answer, Madara will never answer him again. How could he not see? How had he seen Madara slowly slipping into darkness and assumed the worst? How could he have abandoned Madara when he needed Hashirama the most? How could he fail Madara so badly?

He gently closes Madara’s eyes, brushes his thumb across too pale cheeks. He’d had so much to say, but he hadn’t. He’d thought they would have a lifetime together, thought that he’d get to see Madara as an old man surrounded by his grandchildren, he’d thought they’d have all the time in the world.

And now they had no time at all.

He can’t hold back the hot tears that flood his eyes without his permission. Madara would make fun of him if he saw, but Hashirama doesn’t have to worry about that now. He weeps. He cries and he screams and it doesn’t make anything better because Madara is growing cold in his arms and Hashirama can do nothing. He holds Madara to him, hides his face in the crook of his shoulder, tries to imagine the pulse under his ear is still beating.

What is he going to do now? What is he going to do without Madara?

He can’t bring himself to move. The water is frigid as it flows around them, his hands are tacky with Madara‘s blood and he doesn’t know what to do. Hashirama is all alone holding the body of the man he’d loved, and he doesn’t know what to do.

**Author's Note:**

> So I prefer to ignore a lot of cannon, including the entire Madara resurrection and rabbit goddess things, for me Madara died right there in that valley and he stayed dead. Also the entire thing where Madara spins into insanity is believable, but I don't think he would come up with the solution to just fucking destroy Konoha. So basically fuck the plot.


End file.
